Worcester council approves small café inside City Hall

WORCESTER — The City Council has given the green light to the establishment of a small café on the first floor of City Hall in partnership with the Seven Hills Foundation.

But it was not without controversy as some city councilors had concerns about having such an operation in City Hall competing with nearby businesses.

They argued the city should be doing more to get City Hall employees to frequent downtown businesses rather than giving them less of an incentive to do so.

When all was said and done, however, the council Tuesday night unanimously voted to spend $4,000 to fund the build-out for the future home of the City Hall Café, which will be located in space adjacent to the information desk in the building's main lobby.

The build-out will include upgrading electrical, updating plumbing to include a sink and counter space, and additional shelving.

City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. said the café is meant to make City Hall "a little bit more friendly" for its employees and visitors.

He said it will primarily serve items like coffee, juice, soda, nutrition bars and fruit among other snack foods.

Mr. Augustus said all purchases from the City Hall Café will support the culinary arts program at the Seven Hills Foundation.

He said the café is intended to provide an opportunity for employment and workforce development to the students of Seven Hills, under the supervision of a job skills coach.

District 3 Councilor George J. Russell had some concerns, however, about having such an operation in City Hall.

He said he has objected in the past when downtown businesses have wanted to put employee cafeterias in their buildings. Instead, he said employees should be encouraged to get out of their buildings and frequent downtown businesses.

"Is it our goal to keep people in the building (City Hall) or to get them out of the building?" he asked.

Councilor-at-Large Konstantina B. Lukes had similar concerns, though she said it was tough to object to the City Hall Café because of the partnership with the Seven Hills Foundation.

"It's hard to say no to something like this when you have a nonprofit with a great reputation and does so many great things, but we have to think ahead," she said.

But most other councilors welcomed the idea of the City Hall Café, saying it will serve young adults with development disorders by giving them job training skills.

Councilor-at-Large Frederick C. Rushton said it is "ludicrous" to think that the City Hall Café would negatively impact nearby businesses.

Mayor Joseph M. Petty also applauded the city administration for coming up with the idea. He said he understands the concerns raised by Mr. Russell, but does not think having a café in City Hall will have a detrimental effect on other similar businesses.

Mr. Augustus said he appreciates the concerns that were raised and feels a compromise can be worked out.

"Let us try this experiment," he said. "We will try to put things in there that do not compete with other businesses. I think we can find a compromise because this is a worthwhile experiment."

Contact Nick Kotsopoulos at nicholas.kotsopoulos@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @NCKotsopoulos